Spain became world champions for the second time in their history after defeating Argentina 1-0 in the 2026 FIFA World Cup final at MetLife Stadium on July 19. Argentina players react after losing the World Cup final to Spain. Luis de la Fuente’s side controlled the match for long stretches but were repeatedly denied by Argentina goalkeeper Emiliano Martinez. The deadlock was not broken until the 106th minute of extra time, when Nico Williams nodded down a cross from Pedro Porro at the far post, and Ferran Torres drove a first-time effort into the roof of the net to settle the contest.
How much will Argentina get despite losing to Spain?
Although Argentina departed the tournament without retaining their title, FIFA will award the runners-up KSh 4.28 billion (USD 33 million) in prize money.
The defeat marks a run of four successive tournament wins for Lionel Scaloni, which included the 2022 World Cup win. “I feel sadness, but knowing that we left everything out there. I have a lot of things to say about how we got here, but it’s not worth it. I want to thank these guys eternally for giving us another World Cup final and for competing until the end. They [Spain] were better, that’s the truth,” he said via FIFA News. Spain, as champions, will collect a larger share of the total prize pool distributed across all competing nations at the tournament. Spain’s victory marks their second World Cup triumph overall, adding to their 2010 title won in South Africa, and signals a new peak for a generation of players who have dominated European football in recent seasons under De la Fuente.
Why Spain won’t keep World Cup trophy
We also highlighted facts about Spain’s historic victory over Argentina in the 2026 World Cup final, where Ferran Torres scored the decisive goal. Despite their triumph, Spain will not keep the original trophy due to FIFA’s regulations, which prevent the winning nation from possessing the coveted artefact
